Stan Lee

The better title would have been stan lee and building marvel comics. It's a mix of animation and actual footage. Even archival film from the bombing of pearl harbor. Stan lee narrates his own story. Of course, he died in 2018, and this didn't come out until 2023. One wonders if he had prepared this in advance, for when he passed. Some interesting tales of events along the way, how he came up with various characters, or why some issues don't carry the stamp of comic book approval. Some controversy over who should have credit for the different parts of the empire. We hear some recordings of interviews with lee and jack kirby. It's a shame that the director didn't have a one on one interview with just jack kirby, or the new owners of marvel, when it got sold. Kirby died in 1994, so it would have had to take place before that! A really professional documentary looks at the subject from all angles, and most of the material told here seems to be from lee's point of view, and mostly told by lee himself. Directed by david gelb, who has been nominated for emmys and grammys. An interesting story, for sure. And pretty good.

In many ways this did not surprise. In his own words Stan the Man inflates and regurgitates his own modest history to that of superhero status. Though in many ways a progressive and forward thinking creator this only shovels more turf on the graves of his equally illustrious collaborators and only can be read as an extended advertisment for his home at Disney+.

With a cutup narration delivered awkwardly scattershot from Lee himself, here is a smoke blowing look into a lifetime of one mans aparently singlehanded endeavor to create a world beating comic book company.

Disingenous and self serving. Avoid.

See instead, 'In Search Of Steve Ditko', on YouTube, which at least allows more room for dissenting voices.

2/10.

This movie, left me very disappointed because it failed to really describe the life of this iconic figure. While it carried the name of Stan Lee, the narrative seemed to be tailored to cater to the interests of the producers or the streaming channel publishing it rather than offering an in-depth exploration of the man himself.

I had hoped the film would shed light on the lesser-known aspects of Stan Lee's life, particularly the challenges he faced due to people taking advantage of him and attempting to claim ownership of his creative work. Unfortunately, these crucial elements were glossed over or omitted entirely, leaving a significant gap in understanding the man's life.

One of the best traits of Stan Lee was his kind and forgiving nature, which often made him overlook the harsh realities of the business world. This quality, while endearing, unfortunately made him vulnerable to manipulation by those driven by greed and self-interest. The movie missed a crucial opportunity to delve into this aspect of his personality, which would have provided a deeper appreciation of his character.

Stan Lee's contributions to the world of comic books and superheroes revolutionized the entertainment industry, yet his personal struggles with deceptive individuals were equally compelling. By neglecting to portray these challenges, the movie failed to give audiences a real understanding of the man behind Marvel.

Despite the movie's shortcomings, it did manage to touch on some positive aspects of Stan Lee's life, but that's all it was.

Stan Lee had the potential to be a compelling and insightful story, but it fell short by focusing on a limited and curated narrative. The movie did not do justice to the complex and multifaceted man that Stan Lee was, and it missed an opportunity to shed light on the challenges he faced and the impact he had on the world of storytelling and imagination. While it may serve as an introduction to Stan Lee's legacy for some, it ultimately leaves much to be desired for those who sought a more comprehensive and honest portrayal of the man who deserved better recognition for his contributions.

A well-made yet simple documentary that can feel a bit too corporate-y at times, it is most interesting when it starts to delve into dramatic moments such as Kirby and Lee's complicated history in the 70's, but it instantly steers away to remind audiences of the cultural iconography of Stan Lee and act as an ad for the MCU.

Most of the information isn't groundbreaking if you are familiar with the history of Stan Lee and his work at Marvel Comics, but it's told in a really nice way with some great graphics, animation, and overall editing.

I love how vibrantly they presented the vintage comic books and the way they chose to visualise the past through sculptures, a really unique way that fits the overall vibe. I wish it had more depth or nuance, because I feel like I've already seen all of it's content in other docs before, but nevertheless the presentation stands out here. A great watch for any comic book fan, or anyone interested in learning about a integral persona in the world of comics.

Comics have perhaps the strongest physical nostalgic impact on me. The feeling of touching a new comic book and the smell of it has an undeniable warmth for me, I have countless memories attached to these characters and stories that I will never get tired or ashamed of enjoying. Forget any media adaptation that has come and any that is yet to, whether good or bad, nothing ever beats those hues found in a comic strip.

The story of Stan Lee as told mostly by Stan Lee. While it is interesting to hear from the subject of a documentary, the film makers themselves should be a little more detached. They do touch upon the idea that Stan Lee may not have come up with this iconic characters himself, but an interview with Jack Kirby is edited in a way that makes Kirby look like he doesn't have much of a case, and he did. The other part of this film is that it really wants to be a happy story, but the end of Stan Lee's life was anything but. He was accused of sexual assualt, and he definitely was the victim of elder abuse. (there was even a trial). Neither of these things were mentioned.